Aldora Divers Review: Two Tank Solo New Diver Experience Coming off a Cruise Ship

[DevilEyeDog]

Bubblesong: Good question. Aldora requires a deposit for booking, but not a payment a full. At the end of the dives they did not charge me for a private DM. Again, not a big deal, but definitely a disappointment. As a new diver I wanted a private DM to help show me the critters of Cozumel and also to make me feel a little more secure. I know what I need as a new diver and requested a service. The service didn't happen and I still had two great dives. It's that simple.

 

[tridacna]

Anita revisited...

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Anita revisited...

9 more pages to go......

 

[DevilEyeDog]

Oh dear scuba gods...I hope it's not another 9 more pages.

I had hoped to go back and add a preface to my first post, but unfortunately I am unable to edit the original post. So, here's what I wanted to add without changing anything in the first post but adding a preface.

When I was in search for a dive operator in Cozumel I did a lot of research. Some did not take solo divers. Some did not accommodate cruise ship divers. I came to scuba board and searched words like "cruise ship Cozumel" and "solo Cozumel".

I am a new diver which plays in to the post only because I wanted a private DM for the reasons of being new and for photography reasons. A solo new diver who likes to take pictures did what was right for themselves and requested a private DM.

I was not aware of Dave or his presence on ScubaBoard, but I did read plenty of WONDERFUL reviews which helped me make my decision to use their services.

The end result is there are plenty of horrible bad reviews on ScubaBoard for everything from gear to dive operators. People post both good and bad reviews all the time on this site. This post has gotten out of control because it pointed a few small (SMALL PEOPLE...they are small so calm down) disappointments in my experience with Aldora. This isn't because I'm a new diver or came off a cruise ship. This post is out of control because people love Aldora and surprised by the small infractions and then the unfortunate reaction of the owner.

This is no different then if you paid for nitrox and there wasn't any or you requested 3 dives and only got two or you wanted to rent a BC with integrated weight pouches and had to wear a weight belt. You made a reservation for certain services and they weren't met. It's that simple.

In the end when a business disappoints you, you want an acknowledgement so you feel valued. I asked at the shop about what happened to the private DM and no one apologized or even acknowledged the fault. (I was told to talk to them on the boat and there wasn't anyone but the one dive guide on the boat who was not my hired private DM). I reached out to Aldora. I waited two weeks. I didn't receive a reply. I posted a review which praises them and thanks for them two great dives. This is a ball drop on their part for multiple reasons, but I as the reviewer gave a fair review.

Dave's reaction was not quite what I was looking for as a customer and according to so many of you, it's uncharacteristic. We all have bad days and moments and I'm not one to drag out this post any longer. His reply was a mistake. The shop not having a private DM available was a mistake. No apology was a mistake. Not replying to my private email to them two weeks ago was a mistake.

The reason this post is so dramatic is because I wrote about Aldora and that's the bottom line.
Calm down divers of the world.
Keep Calm and Dive On.

 

[Skittl1321]

OP: People here like to jump like crazy on any complaint at all. It was a reasonable complaint; it sounds like it didn't ruin your diving, but "I'm so sorry, the DM you booked got sick." is different from "The boat didn't know of the request." Apparently all reviews should only say absolutely wonderful things. I know I've been jumped on here many times before; and my husband actually took a good 3+ year break from the forum he gets so annoyed by some people on here.

It's reasonable for shops to not take cruisers, but if they do- they are customers just like any others and deserve to be treated fairly. I'm glad you weren't charged and didn't have to deal with refunds of any sort. But to blame you for having a (minor) complaint is ridiculous. I would be annoyed if I were you too.

Aldora seems like they typically run a good operation, but the octo sharing as SOP has turned me off from them, which is fine. They have plenty of customers, they don't need me. I know the DM is technically there to protect the reef more than the customer; but having someone on your octo for a standard action means it isn't there for an emergency. That worries me. I've also been on a dive with an op that lets divers do their own thing, to be merrily floating along, quite separated, and then see the DM dart as fast as he can against the current, because divers swam the wrong way. If a customer was on the octo, they couldn't do that.

 

[Bubblesong]

I want to book dives off cruises, and I need to hear stories like this, that let me know that just sending reminder emails is not enough. Maybe I have to call a recommended DM, and ask him/her to meet me at the dive boat. And pay that DM’s spot on the boat, which is actually what i have done now that i think about it. But we are three divers, so the split cost is not as high.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

I want to book dives off cruises, and I need to hear stories like this, that let me know that just sending reminder emails is not enough. Maybe I have to call a recommended DM, and ask him/her to meet me at the dive boat. And pay that DM’s spot on the boat, which is actually what i have done now that i think about it. But we are three divers, so the split cost is not as high.

The poster in question was just one of three divers with one DM to share.

 

[Dogbowl]

I want to book dives off cruises, and I need to hear stories like this, that let me know that just sending reminder emails is not enough. Maybe I have to call a recommended DM, and ask him/her to meet me at the dive boat. And pay that DM’s spot on the boat, which is actually what i have done now that i think about it. But we are three divers, so the split cost is not as high.

I’m going to go out on a limb and recommend Tres Pelicanos for diving off a cruise ship with a private DM. I did that with no problems and Jeanie is responsible for email correspondence and is very responsive.

I also have 2 other DMs that I like on the island who are “freelance” and would not hesitate to use again. Always a pleasant experience even when our ship docked an hour late once.

 

[Bubblesong]

The poster in question was just one of three divers with one DM to share.

So Dave, what would be the cost to be sure we get the one DM all to our selves; me, my hubby, my teen kid? To be sure that our Dm is not going to be stretched to include other divers? Would you say you would put an extra DM on, one for us, one for the other divers and what would you charge to guarantee, (and when i say guarantee, I mean to the level that we could expect a full refund) guarantee we would have that DM’s undivided, one-sided, devotion, and other guests’ pleading and whimpering for help just gets them left on the dock?

 

[Altamira]

The criticism of putting a diver on the DM's octo is a bit overblown in most cases. I have seen this done numerous times with a variety of different dive ops, and the diver was put on the DM's octo, not because of an OOA situation, but because the diver was significantly lower on air than the other divers in the group. This was done to avoid thumbing the dive earlier than desired. So, if another diver had a problem requiring the DM's assistance, the diver on the octo could go back on his/her own air, the DM could assist another diver as needed, and everyone would surface together. I prefer that scenario over everyone ascending when one diver's air gets too far below the rest of the crowd, especially on a drift dive in Coz. But that is just my preference.